Suge Knight's Nine Craziest Run-Ins with...Everyone

Suge Knight, the impresario behind Death Row Records, was arrested yesterday in Los Angeles on suspicion of murder. The charge? Knight allegedly ran two men over with his truck after an argument on the set of Straight Outta Compton, the upcoming N.W.A. biopic. This is far from Knight’s first brush with the law—whether he finds trouble or trouble finds him, Knight has a history of making headlines for the wrong reasons. And it’s not just the timeline that galls—it’s the quotes, details, and context culled from news reports that truly boggle the mind. Here are nine of the most shocking:

The two were on their way to Club 662 in Las Vegas following a Mike Tyson title fight. From The Las Vegas Sun: "[The nightclub’s attorney George] Kelesis had asked Knight, who wants to buy Club 662 on East Flamingo Road, to pass on word of the party to his celebrity friends to ensure a successful event. ’The thing about Knight is he’s real gung-ho about getting kids to straighten up their acts,’ Kelesis said. . . . It has been widely, and incorrectly reported, that Knight owns Club 662 (which spells M.O.B. on a telephone pad)."

1997 – Knight is sentenced to nine years in prison for violating probation stemming from an earlier assault case

Shortly before his release, Knight conducts a handful of interviews. From The Guardian: "’I’ll be out of this place soon,’ he whispers so quietly that I now have to lean forward. ’And it’ll be like the Wild West all over again. I got plenty of scores to settle.’"

And the_ New York Post_: "’I wouldn’t say that I’m looking to become a role model when I leave prison, but the violent parts of my life have come to an end,’ he says."

"Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said early Monday there had been no further developments in the case. He told The Miami Herald that the investigation was being hampered by witnesses’ unwillingness to talk. ’We don’t have any physical description. We don’t know how many subjects were involved, which is mind boggling, with all those people around,’ Hernandez told the newspaper."

The Smoking Gun reported: "Dogged by $12 million in tax liens and other legal judgments, rap music titan Marion ’Suge’ Knight is down to $11 in his checking accounts and the bling on his back, according to a bankruptcy court filing. The Death Row Records founder, who filed for Chapter 11 protection last month, claims that his $4.4 million in assets is dwarfed by $137.4 million in debt."

"Two Metro Police officers say they saw Knight, pulled over in a parking lot just off the Strip at 6:30 a.m. Aug. 27, punching a naked woman with one hand and holding a knife in the other." The woman was Knight’s girlfriend, according to news reports; he pled guilty to misdemeanor battery and was fined $340. — Las Vegas Sun

From Billboard: "The damages total includes a 15-carat diamond earring valued at $135,000 that Knight said came loose during the shooting chaos and was picked up by an employee who promised to return it. Knight doesn’t know the identity of the employee but has never seen the earring since, according to court papers."

That wasn’t the first time the duo ran afoul of the law, and it certainly wasn’t the funniest. That’d be this one: in 2012, reports Rolling Stone,_ _"The two received citations after a ‘disturbance,’ according to TMZ. Williams was reportedly waiting in front of a Subway shop while Knight, who has acted as Williams’ tour manager, was getting a manicure/pedicure at a nail salon when police arrived. Williams was cited for parking too close to a fire hydrant."

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